Barco brings vivid projections to Sesame Street dark ride

Founded in 1977, Sally Corporation started life as an animatronic production company that helped market corporate brands in a unique and entertaining way. Since then, Sally has evolved into the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of the most successful dark rides around the world. Amongst the characters it works for are global stars such as Shaun the Sheep (Aardman), Justice League (Warner Bros./DC Comics) and Scooby-Doo (Warner Bros.).

For PortAventura World, Sally Corporation was introducing the very first Sesame Street dark ride in Europe. The well-loved characters include life-sized animatronics of Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Abby, and Detective Grover who tells guests about the new adventure they are about to embark on. The 6-minute ride is intended to be a showcase for the park, so customer satisfaction is very important. Dark rides of this nature require very high levels of performance. The 14,000 square foot building notably features:

• A total of 8 projection screens (ranging from 30 to 70 feet wide)

• 4 projection-mapped screens on dimensional sets with practical target integration.

• 1 ninety-degree curved screen with animatronic and show element syncing

• 2 x 180 degree curved, fully immersive screens allow us to fly through Count’s Castle and dive down into Oscar’s Trashcan.

• 1 flat screen with Hall of Fame scoreboard feature.

To each of these screens, Barco’s UDX-W22 projectors bring superb color rendering and the sharpness needed for immersive 3D, long-life performance, simplified design and maximized control. “Our partner PortAventura World has done an amazing job along with Sally Corporation, in capturing the true essence of the Sesame Street brand and creating an immersive experience that brings our characters to life for park guests.” – Ed Wells, Senior Vice President and Head of International Media and Education, Sesame Workshop.